“If you give your BODY more of what it wants and less of what it doesn’t YOU will get more of what you want and less of what you don’t.”
What Creates vs. Sabotages Your Health
What Creates vs. Sabotages Your Health:
By Dr. Richard Powers
Over the next three minutes I’ll share why it is that well into the 21st century 3 out of 4 people in the US will still likely succumb to diseases that the National Institutes of Health states are “largely preventable” – heart attacks, strokes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. I will also share a simple concept, the application of which will increase your chances of being the 1 in 4 who do NOT end up with one of these disabling diseases and a premature exit from this planet.
Let’s start with the question the 1000’s of people who have come to me over the past 40+ years ask, ‘how do I get well’?
To answer this question for my clients I needed to understand the answer to these two questions, ‘what creates health? and what sabotages it?’
What I discovered after decades of study and observation is that most fundamentally there are two opposing forces in play impacting our health. There are the burdens of stress and toxicity challenging us. Stress arising from the loss of loved ones, difficult relationships at home or work, unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and like that. And toxins, which are ubiquitous and more prevalent now than ever, as we live in a sea of toxins – in our food, water, air, clothing, at our home and workplace. Not to mention the invisible electromagnetic “toxins” (cell phone towers, Wi-Fi, satellite transmissions, and more) that didn’t exist at a fraction of what they are today even 5 years ago.
The good news is that our bodies are intelligently designed and have an innate internal resistance to these burdens of life. What determines the strength of our internal resistance has everything to do with our thoughts and (1) what we choose to eat, (2) how often we move our body (and how), and (3) if we are getting a good night’s rest most nights.
Simply put, when the burdens of life are greater than our bodies internal resistance, we tend to break down. Initially our bodies begin to dysfunction, but we usually haven’t been taught to notice and interpret these subtle clues. Then, once things progress to the symptomatic stage, we often either ignore the “signs” and hope they go “away,” or we frequently take something (an over-the-counter medication) to help us “feel” better. When things begin to feel bad enough, we then go see our doctor who then labels our symptoms (disease diagnosis) and writes a prescription for medication (commensurate with that diagnosis). More often than not we leave our doctor’s office without learning of the underlying causes of our health challenges, and without a strategy as to how to correct that which precipitated our problems in the first place.
If we want to turn this around and “get well” rather than just “feel” some better (symptomatic relief), it’s a matter of learning and doing what we can to minimize the burdens of stress and toxicity, while concurrently making some consistent positive improvements with our diet, exercise, and sleep routines.
Over time, the sum total of the burdens of stress and toxicity coupled with not eating well, not sleeping soundly, and not exercising and moving our bodies often enough create functional imbalances (shown in the yellow boxes). These are the areas that integrative doctors trained in functional medicine investigate.
Integrative practitioners are often aware of many types of underlying, functional imbalances. For example, challenges with the gut (dysbiosis, SIBO, and leaky gut), adrenal glands (hypoadrenia), blood sugar regulation (hypoglycemia, insulin resistance), oxidative stress (which damages DNA opening the door to cancer and damage to our blood vessels resulting in cardiovascular disease), problems with methylation and mitochondrial challenges (both of which impact every cell in our body), hormone imbalances (under and over active thyroid, low T, estrogen dominance), and so on.
When these functional imbalances are left undetected and therefore uncorrected, our organs and glands eventually become affected, resulting in a worsening of our symptoms and disease progression. This compels us to visit our doctor who then provides us with a disease diagnosis and a medication prescription. And although medication at times is necessary and beneficial – particularly when our health as significantly declined – it only helps manage the ailment but does little to correct it, as medication does not address and correct the underlying causes.
What all these functional imbalances have in common is they all got their foot in the door from our suboptimal diet and lifestyle choices coupled with the burdens of accumulating toxins and stress. Admittedly there are genetic influences and other forces at play, but what most fundamentally impacts our health outcome (and that we can do something about) is our diet, exercise, and sleep habits, and our ability to mitigate the effects of the stressors and toxins in our lives.
So, in a nutshell, getting and staying well all boils down to this one simple, LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE, concept:
If you give your body more of what it wants (eating well, moving often, sleeping soundly) and less of what it doesn’t (toxic burden, unmanaged stress), you’ll get more of what you want (vitality, peace, resilience) and less of what you don’t (pain, disability, infirmity).
Welcome to Intelligent Health™!
has everything to do with:
THOUGHTS ... you Think:
DAILY ROUTINES ... you Do:
SUPPLEMENTATION ... you Take:
- What you THINK
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Learn More
THOUGHTS ... you Think:
Stress Management: Do what you can to cultivate “better” thinking. Scientific evidence has well documented that your thoughts, and the feelings they evoke, substantially impacting your physiology resulting in how “well” your feel and your body functions. Your thoughts and feelings also significantly influence your dietary choices, exercise routines, and sleep habits. - What you DO
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Learn More
DAILY ROUTINES ... you Do:
Diet & Lifestyle: Learn and apply more wholesome, safe, and biologically based diet and lifestyle routines. Your wellbeing – how you feel and function – is directly linked to your eating, movement, and sleeping habits; as well as how balanced your life is, e.g., giving/receiving; moving/resting; eating/fasting; etc. - What you TAKE
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SUPPLEMENTATION ... you Take:
Nutrients & Natural Medicine: Incorporate judicious use of highly researched supplement formulations. Supplements can significantly accelerate healing, reverse disease, restore health and build resilience; but remember that they only serve to augment – not replace – the health and healing initiated and sustained by your right “thinking” and “doing” (daily diet and lifestyle routines).
Intelligent Health® Pyramid
- Many people frequently rely on medication and surgery (the “top” of the pyramid) as their initial, go-to strategy to manage their symptoms and health challenges. Unfortunately, this path often results in escalating disease, disability, and a premature demise.
- Alternatively, capitalizing on diet, lifestyle, and supplementation (the “base” of the pyramid) to preserve and protect your well-being decreases your need for medication and surgery, and brings greater self-advocacy and often a longer healthspan. Ultimately, this path offers a better chance to experience your full health potential so you may live your best life.
Foundations for Creating Optimal Health
by Dr. Richard Powers
About Supplementation
WHY Supplements Are Now Necessary
Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
The right daily supplementation in combination with healthy habits (thinking better; eating well; moving often; sleeping soundly) will help you feel and function your best; while lowering your risk for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and most other chronic degenerative diseases that are disabling and prematurely ending 3 out of 4 lives in the U.S.
Beyond these food quality challenges, the combination of quick, nutrient-deficient meals + excessive toxicity in our environment + sedentary lifestyles (or over-training) + insufficient quality sleep + high stress = all amount to a perfect “recipe” to manifest nutrient deficiencies and open the door to and ultimately succumb to a life of pain, mood disorders, fatigue, chronic illness, and often a premature demise.
To optimize health and reduce disease risk, the necessity of supplementing your diet with the right supplementation has become a reality – even in the face of eating a largely plant-based, “organic” diet.
WHAT Supplements DO … and DON'T DO
Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
Supplements are appropriately coined “supplements” for a reason – they “supplement” your diet … not replace it.
If you are sedentary (or over-train), do not getting enough restorative rest, have an excessive toxic body burden, or are often feeling anxious or stressed out, just eating a nutrient-dense diet still often falls short of ensuring optimal nutrient sufficiency.
WHICH Supplements To Take
Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
First, you only want to take supplements that are evidence-based, highly researched, and of guaranteed potency and purity.
In addition to knowing which supplements to take, to benefit from them you must be sure the nutrients are in the:
- Correct amount (not enough = little to no real benefit; too much = over time may become potentially harmful)
- Optimal ratios (certain nutrients need to be supplemented in specific ratios, e.g., Zinc and Copper at about a 10:1 ratio; improper supplement proportions can create “artificial” nutrient deficiencies resulting in violent behavior, attention deficit, and hyperactivity – Physiology and Behavior, Oct 2004)
- Proper form (certain “forms” of nutrients have lowered utilization = potentially resulting in little to no benefit; e.g., magnesium oxide vs. magnesium glycinate; cyanocobalamin vs. methylcobalamin; etc.).
ALL of Dr. Powers FOUNDATIONAL Formulas meet these requirements.
HOW to Know if Your Supplements Are Benefitting You
Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
When you take a “medicine” to help you feel better in some way (like to lower blood pressure or relieve a headache), you can tell if it is working by noticing if your blood pressure drops or if your headache is relieved. Time frame: Usually hours to days.
If the supplement we’re talking about is a “daily supplement” to fill nutrient gaps in your diet (e.g., Dr. Powers FOUNDATIONAL Formulas), the desired outcome is to ensure your cells have the nutrients they require to make healthy (or healthier) cells. This process of “filling your nutrient tank” is cumulative and usually occurs over a period of months – not days or even weeks.
- Nutrient sufficiency = means healthier cells = leads to a healthier body = and helps you feel and perform better and reduce your disease risk.
If, on the other hand, we are talking about a supplement designed for a therapeutic effect (e.g., botanicals to improve blood sugar regulation, dampen inflammation, or facilitate detoxification), you may feel the desired benefits within weeks, but usually not as quickly as a conventional pharmaceutical-type medicine (felt in hours to days).
Since supplement benefits occur more slowly and sometimes imperceptibly over time, how do you know if they are helping you?
First, choose supplements that are most likely going to benefit you and not harm you. (Refer to “WHICH” Supplement to Take, as described above.)
Then, periodically track how you are feeling (like your energy, vitality, and mood), and see if you are noticing or feeling any improvement in your health. Again, look for these changes perhaps after a period of several weeks to months, and not so much day-to-day or even week-to-week.
To further assess the potential benefit of your supplements, regularly monitor your nutrient sufficiency and progress in key areas, e.g., blood sugar regulation, immunity, toxicity, inflammation, gut/digestive health, hormonal balance, stress management, body composition, etc. This can easily and affordably be accomplished via painless and harmless testing, e.g., blood tests; urinalysis; and other in-office and/or specialized testing.
The frequency of your evaluation depends on your health status and goals and healthcare budget. Once or twice a year may be appropriate for many though others with existing health conditions would do better with more frequent re-evaluation until their health stabilizes, e.g., quarterly, or even sooner for certain tests.
Find an integrative physician here.
- WHY
-
WHY Supplements Are Now Necessary
FACT: Our daily nutritional needs are not being met by diet alone.Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
The right daily supplementation in combination with healthy habits (thinking better; eating well; moving often; sleeping soundly) will help you feel and function your best; while lowering your risk for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and most other chronic degenerative diseases that are disabling and prematurely ending 3 out of 4 lives in the U.S.
read moreThere was a time when you could get the nutrition your body required solely from food. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Much of our food is now refined, bleached, chemically preserved, artificially colored and flavored, irradiated, riddled with hormones, sprayed with toxic pesticides, and genetically modified. The food on our plate is often nutrient deficient, frequently contains rancid trans-fats, and falls far short of providing the nutrition your body requires.Beyond these food quality challenges, the combination of quick, nutrient-deficient meals + excessive toxicity in our environment + sedentary lifestyles (or over-training) + insufficient quality sleep + high stress = all amount to a perfect “recipe” to manifest nutrient deficiencies and open the door to and ultimately succumb to a life of pain, mood disorders, fatigue, chronic illness, and often a premature demise.
To optimize health and reduce disease risk, the necessity of supplementing your diet with the right supplementation has become a reality – even in the face of eating a largely plant-based, “organic” diet.
- WHAT
-
WHAT Supplements DO … and DON'T DO
FACT: Supplements can help accelerate healing and reduce disease risk but they are NOT a SUBSTITUTE for eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet.Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
Supplements are appropriately coined “supplements” for a reason – they “supplement” your diet … not replace it.
read moreAlthough over time the right supplements taken consistently can help you get well and stay well, the best supplements in the world will never sufficiently compensate for a poor-quality diet and lifestyle.If you are sedentary (or over-train), do not getting enough restorative rest, have an excessive toxic body burden, or are often feeling anxious or stressed out, just eating a nutrient-dense diet still often falls short of ensuring optimal nutrient sufficiency.
- WHICH
-
WHICH Supplements To Take
FACT: 2 out of every 3 Americans take supplements (2015) … yet most people don’t really know what supplements to take, how much, or for how long, to ensure they are benefiting from them.Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
First, you only want to take supplements that are evidence-based, highly researched, and of guaranteed potency and purity.
read moreThen, since nutrient needs vary from person to person (dependent upon their age, diet, medication usage, health status, and more), the formula needs to take into account at least some of these factors.In addition to knowing which supplements to take, to benefit from them you must be sure the nutrients are in the:
- Correct amount (not enough = little to no real benefit; too much = over time may become potentially harmful)
- Optimal ratios (certain nutrients need to be supplemented in specific ratios, e.g., Zinc and Copper at about a 10:1 ratio; improper supplement proportions can create “artificial” nutrient deficiencies resulting in violent behavior, attention deficit, and hyperactivity – Physiology and Behavior, Oct 2004)
- Proper form (certain “forms” of nutrients have lowered utilization = potentially resulting in little to no benefit; e.g., magnesium oxide vs. magnesium glycinate; cyanocobalamin vs. methylcobalamin; etc.).
ALL of Dr. Powers FOUNDATIONAL Formulas meet these requirements.
- HOW
-
HOW to Know if Your Supplements Are Benefitting You
FACT: To ensure your are benefiting from your supplements, periodically monitor your health’s progression and nutrient levels/needs through a combination of (1) assessing how you feel and through (2) functional medicine testing.Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
When you take a “medicine” to help you feel better in some way (like to lower blood pressure or relieve a headache), you can tell if it is working by noticing if your blood pressure drops or if your headache is relieved. Time frame: Usually hours to days.
read moreBut how do you know if the supplements you are taking are benefiting you and making a positive impact on your health? And, for supplements whose primary purpose is to help prevent disease … how do you know that they are?If the supplement we’re talking about is a “daily supplement” to fill nutrient gaps in your diet (e.g., Dr. Powers FOUNDATIONAL Formulas), the desired outcome is to ensure your cells have the nutrients they require to make healthy (or healthier) cells. This process of “filling your nutrient tank” is cumulative and usually occurs over a period of months – not days or even weeks.
- Nutrient sufficiency = means healthier cells = leads to a healthier body = and helps you feel and perform better and reduce your disease risk.
If, on the other hand, we are talking about a supplement designed for a therapeutic effect (e.g., botanicals to improve blood sugar regulation, dampen inflammation, or facilitate detoxification), you may feel the desired benefits within weeks, but usually not as quickly as a conventional pharmaceutical-type medicine (felt in hours to days).
Since supplement benefits occur more slowly and sometimes imperceptibly over time, how do you know if they are helping you?
First, choose supplements that are most likely going to benefit you and not harm you. (Refer to “WHICH” Supplement to Take, as described above.)
Then, periodically track how you are feeling (like your energy, vitality, and mood), and see if you are noticing or feeling any improvement in your health. Again, look for these changes perhaps after a period of several weeks to months, and not so much day-to-day or even week-to-week.
To further assess the potential benefit of your supplements, regularly monitor your nutrient sufficiency and progress in key areas, e.g., blood sugar regulation, immunity, toxicity, inflammation, gut/digestive health, hormonal balance, stress management, body composition, etc. This can easily and affordably be accomplished via painless and harmless testing, e.g., blood tests; urinalysis; and other in-office and/or specialized testing.
The frequency of your evaluation depends on your health status and goals and healthcare budget. Once or twice a year may be appropriate for many though others with existing health conditions would do better with more frequent re-evaluation until their health stabilizes, e.g., quarterly, or even sooner for certain tests.
Find an integrative physician here.
Nutritional medicine is more complex than it seems. If you are taking or are considering taking self-prescribed supplements, either from Googling supplements or from the recommendation of a well-intended friend or family member, know that it may result in suboptimal or even potentially harmful outcomes, and you would likely never know it.
Most of us possess limited knowledge of the complexities of physiology, biochemistry, and immunology. This means the decisions made around what supplements to take (and how much and when) without professional guidance is unpredictable–may be helpful or maybe not. Given the importance of our health and the limitations of our budgets, it makes sense to take supplements that have been doctor-formulated (or prescribed).
All Dr. Powers’ Foundational Formulas are designed to fulfill the most commonly deficient nutrients revealed after measuring patient levels for over 40+ years; contain only the highest quality, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients in safe, effective quantities, and optimal “forms” and ratios; and include nutritional dosing recommendations at the time of day to achieve the greatest benefit (i.e., via chrononutrition). Dr. Powers’ Foundational Formulas are also based on an individual’s age, health and diet and are dispensed in convenitent daily dose packets and cost effective.
Discover which Foundational Formula is best matched to your needs: take the brief,
Review Dr. Powers’ nutritional training and expertise – Curriculum Vitae and Biography.
Supplements formulated by or available exclusively through a healthcare professional are usually of higher quality, a better value, and provide greater benefits.
Thinking of getting your supplements at the cheapest price, like on Amazon, eBay, a supermarket, a drugstore; or a wholesale store? Considering purchasing at a health food store or multi-level marketing source because you “heard” they were “better”?
This strategy seems to make sense, as everyone wants to get the best “deal” on their supplement purchase. However, you may want to think again, as most authentic, quality supplements – like Xymogen supplements – are only available exclusively through a healthcare professional, and for good reason.
It is not necessarily beneficial or even safe to take certain supplements indefinitely (botanicals; antioxidants; etc.), and especially at higher, therapeutic doses. By having some influence on your supplements – whether prescribed or formulated – you are more likely going to take supplements that offer benefit and are worth your investment.
Supplement storage facilities also play an important role in supplement quality. Fish oils, probiotics, antioxidants, and botanicals are highly susceptible to and are altered by heat, reducing their benefit and in some cases, rendering them mildly toxic. To ensure their continued quality and potency, they need to be stored in an adequately temperature-controlled environment, as in your doctor’s office or a facility they have fully vetted. Note that many supplement warehouses and storage facilities do not always maintain proper temperatures (too costly).
So, if your online searching and asking around reveals a product seems to be what you need at a great price, remember that the most expensive supplement is the one that doesn’t “work”! Do you really want to gamble with potentially inferior-grade supplements when it comes to your health? When you look for a doctor to provide healthcare for a loved one, do you seek out the “cheapest” one or the “best” one?
Clearly each individual has their own healthcare budget but know that one will get a greater health benefit from taking less of a higher quality supplement (truly beneficial), rather than taking more of a (cheaper) lower quality supplement.
Bottom-line: You will likely gain a greater health benefit from taking less of a higher quality supplement, rather than taking more of a (cheaper) lower quality supplement. So, consider supplements prescribed or formulated by a practitioner trained and experienced in nutritional/functional medicine.
Learn more about Dr. Powers’ Foundational Formulas.
Discover your matched Foundational Formula by taking the 4-question quiz.
Review Dr. Powers’ nutritional training and expertise – Curriculum Vitae and Biography.
WHERE to Purchase Your Supplements
Learn more about Dr. Powers FORMULAS here →
Thinking of getting your daily supplements at the cheapest price, like on Amazon or eBay; or at a supermarket; drugstore; or wholesale store? Considering purchasing at health food store or multi-level marketing source because you “heard” they were “better”? At first glance it may make sense, as everyone wants to get the best “deal” on their purchases. However, you may want to think again, as most authentic, quality supplements are only available through or in conjunction with a healthcare professional, and for good reason.
That is why it is imperative you know you are taking only the highest quality supplementation (Supplement Quality is Uniformly Low) and only few manufacturers make the investment to do so. It is also critical that supplements have been maintained in a properly temperature-controlled environment (as in your doctor’s office or a facility they have fully vetted) to ensure their continued quality and potency. Fish oils, probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes, and other supplements are highly susceptible to and are altered by heat, reducing their benefit and in some cases, rendering them mildly toxic. Conventional warehouses (e.g., Amazon) and most storage facilities do not invest in maintaining temperatures low enough for safe supplement storage (too costly).
Guaranteed for Purity and Potency
Medication usage, toxins from our environment and diet, compounding sleep debt, a sedentary lifestyle, and unmanaged stress all deplete our nutrient reserves, frequently resulting in nutritional deficiencies and increasing the need for supplementation.
